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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: degree · mate · pitcher · bore · press · lie · dip · branch

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. press — newspapers
  3. press — a publisher
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mate — a friend
  6. bore — to tire
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mate — to breed
  13. lie — to recline
  14. press — to push
  15. mate — a partner
  16. degree — temperature
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. degree — an amount
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bore — to drill
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. branch — a division
  24. dip — to sink

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com